A Blog of a busy archdeacon trying to capture a glimpse of God in the ordinary things of life

Sunday, 15 December 2013

What if.....Day 15

I am currently struck by the sophistication of Christmas decorations. Everything possible to decorate a home inside and out, and huge moving models in shopping centres and elsewhere. From polar bears to santa's, icebergs to singing reindeer. Then occasionally it's possible to spot a nativity scene. Simple and unadorned. The Christmas wrapping has certainly eclipsed the Christmas meaning in many places.

There is quite a need for a retelling of the story year by year so it is passed on to our children's children. To pay as much attention to the stable as the reindeer. I am afraid the retailers won't do it for us. There is so much magic and relevance in the Christmas story, and that annual visit of the local family to a church carol service gives us that opportunity. Then the church comes into its own, once the presents are bought and wrapped, the expectation rises and the children cannot wait for Christmas morning.

Advent may have become the season for shopping, but Christmas Eve certainly belongs to the church, and we would be foolish to do anything more sophisticated than read that eternal story as has been told for 2000 years.

What if......we each told the Christmas story to one other person this year ?